1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to protection of the human body from prolonged exposure to the sun, and in particular to protection of the ears.
2. Background Art
The sun's ultraviolet rays can cause burning, peeling, and even blistering of one's skin. A person's ears are often uncovered and therefore subject to greater exposure. Although some hat designs with a wide brim do an acceptable job of shading the wearer's ears from the sun, the wide brim provides a large sail area and is therefore subject to being caught by the wind and blown from the wearer's head. Use of brimmed hats may be particularly annoying for golfers, for example, because the hat may be blown from a golfer's head every time he lowers his head to address the golf ball. On the other hand, brimless hats, such as the popular baseball cap, trucker hat, golf cap, and tennis visor, among others, provide no shade over the wearer's ears. Similarly, construction workers often spend hours outdoors, but hardhats generally fail to adequately protect the worker's ears from excessive sunlight.
As shown in FIG. 1, a variant of the baseball cap, known as a legionnaire's cap, includes a fabric drape hanging from the bottom of the crown at the sides and back of the cap. This drape covers the wearer's neck and ears. Such caps have the tendency to reduce airflow around the wearer's head, so that the wearer may become uncomfortably warm. The drape may also diminish the wearer's hearing.
A cap that includes detachable front, side, and rear visors is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,113 issued to Yun on Jun. 30, 1992. However, these visors are bulky and cumbersome. Moreover, such visors require that the cap include snap fasteners for attachment of the visors to the cap. Accordingly, the Yun arrangement is not readily usable with off-the-shelf baseball caps, trucker hats, and the like.
Identification of Objects of the Invention
A primary object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for removable attachment to ordinary baseball caps, trucker hats and the like that shields the wearer's ears from excessive sunlight. Another object of the invention is to provide an ear shade that is lightweight and unobtrusive.
Another object of the invention is to provide an ear shade that can be used with a variety of hats and can be quickly and easily installed and removed.
Another object of the invention is to provide an ear shade that is inexpensive.
Another object of the invention is to provide an ear shade that does not diminish the wearer's ability to hear.
Another object of the invention is to provide an ear shade that is attractive and that is secured to the inside of a hat so as to have minimal aesthetic effect on the exterior crown of the hat.
Another object of the invention is to provide an ear shade that is easily adjustable to accommodate the large variety shapes and sizes of wearers' heads and ears.
Another object of the invention is to provide a single ear shade assembly that is readily adapted to fit on various types of hats, including ball caps and hardhats, and that can be quickly and easily shifted from hat to hat as the user desires.